Manuel Neuer is at the forefront of the second-coming of the ‘sweeper keeper’ while Pep Guardiola’s deployment of Lionel Messi while at Barcelona took talk of the ‘false nine’ beyond specialist tactics blogs and into the realms of TV punditry: two examples at the very highest level.
But if you were to look for the definitive case study of a world-class footballer already at the top of their game, yet still willing to start again in a new unfamiliar position, then the example of Bayern and Germany’s Champions League and World Cup winning captain is irresistible.
Versatility is largely viewed as a curse in football. ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ is levelled at most who try. Few players, if any, can claim to be a world-class performer in multiple positions. In this sense the man known as the ‘Magic Dwarf’ is a trailblazer.
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